Waha Nui

Stars on parade: The immense sumo figure popping up in national print ads these days for Diet Mountain Dew is Kaneohe’s own Ace Yonamine. There’s no mistaking that face and figure, even though the ad calls him ‘Tiny.’ And Waimanalo’s Wilson Ho is one of the friendly bankers you’ve been seeing on recent TV promos for American Savings ... The big W (weather) has added an ironic twist to IONA dance troupe’s spring show preparations. The Kailua troupe had to cancel its free beach preview shows three times, and it’s now decided to film an underwater sequence at an indoor pool.

Says manager Crystal Brewe: “The funny thing is that this show (Electric Blue) is largely about global warming and consequential climate change.” The company is also doing a “no more rain” dance, but it’s firm on this Sunday’s Kailua beach concert, global rain or not (see calendar) ... Speaking of productions, Kalani Poomaihealani of Waimanalo is again directing the free Easter pageant, The Witness: Rise Again. This year it’s at the Honolulu Central Seventh-day Adventist Church April 6-9 and 13-15. Co-sponsored by Castle Medical Center, the play has a cast of 60 musicians, singers and actors, including several CMC staff and their children. For details, call Helene Waihee (who is also in it) at 263-5371 ... Speaking of CMC, it was honored last week as one of the 20 “Best Places to Work in Hawaii” for 2006, based on confidential surveys of employees and other criteria, and sponsored by Hawaii Business magazine ... Castle High student Tippe Morlan has been selected as the Windward District’s representative to the Hawaii State Student Council for next year ... Several spellbound moments occurred March 26 at Windward Community College. That’s where Jonathan Lee of St. Anthony’s School came in second - for the second straight year - to Jasmine Kaneshiro of Hawaii Baptist Academy at the televised state spelling bee. Shuks, I mean shucks ... Staff Sgt. Charles Willson, a mechanic, and other Kaneohe Marines with the 3rd Radio Battalion left students at Waimanalo Intermediate’s career fair with a new perspective on jobs.

The kids now know that Marines do more than fight in Iraq: They log many hours in exciting but more peaceful lines of work. Still, Charles told the Hawaii Marine, their questions about the war kept coming ... It takes two people to count kolea, Annette Kaohelaulii has discovered during her lonely, wet treks to Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery lately.“I have not had much luck trying to multi-task with keeping track of the banded kolea (record, use binoculars and use a scope),” she admits.

Kolea

The birds are fat and sassy, and will soon take off for Alaska. To help with the survey, call her at 235-5431, quick! ... Speaking of wildlife, Wiindward’s Squirrel Hunters play (not shoot!) at 6 p.m. Friday on the lanai at the Hawaii State Art Museum, followed by the the Girlas ... Matthew Nelson (Kalaheo ‘00) has returned to his alma mater to teach a food service class for the Work Place Readiness students. So far his special ed class has learned the fine art of omelettes, making a roux and much more. Matthew has his associate degree from KCC’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific and works as a chef ... Kailua’s Uri Ruaburo has graduated from an advanced Army machinist training course at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. ... Hina Mauka CEO Andy Anderson says the local TV legal series, You and the Law, features a panel discussion of “Addiction 101 - Is It Possible to Recover?” on ‘Olelo channels 49 or 52 between now and May 10 at varying times. For starters: 8:30 p.m. Thursday on 52 and 10 a.m. Saturday on 49. Andy and Patricia Johnson of Hina Mauka are on it; so are Jeff Wagner of the Bobby Benson Center and others